Liam vows to be ready
HOW do you prepare for an England tour in Sri Lanka if you’re spending six weeks in the USA planning your wedding?
If you’re Liam Plunkett it’s a case of Yanks a million as you head down to the local indoor baseball arena and bowl at a life-sized baseball mannequin.
Plunkett, England’s second highest one-day wicket-taker since the last World Cup, was forced to miss the first three games of this series.
A late switch of the tour itinerary meant the fast bowler was too far gone in planning for his guests to cancel their flights.
It meant while spending time in Pennsylvania he took cricket balls, found some stumps, marked out a pitch in a baseball diamond – and got to work.
Plunkett said: “It was a big enough area to get in my full run-up and with the mannequins from DEAN WILSON in Kandy pretty much resembling a batter shaping to hit you out of the park, I got my overs in.
“I got the rolling measuring wheel for the right pitch length. People were looking at me like I was weird but I had to do it.
“And if I had known that facility was available I would have been doing that the last 10 years every time I went there.
Seizing
“I didn’t want to come here and be out of shape. I took six new white balls, I got some stumps and I could practise my skills and practise my yorkers.
“It’s about getting your overs up and I bowled 40 per week.”
Plunkett’s wedding to American Emeleah took place last Saturday in the Cotswolds, the same day his team-mates were busy winning the second ODI 5,000 miles away in Dambulla.
His unusual honeymoon itinerary will now take in two ODIs and a Twenty20.
Despite rookie seamers Olly Stone and Tom Curran seizing their chance in his absence, Plunkett, 33, said: “In the back of your mind you know someone will come in and do well.
“I think England know what I can bring to the game. But if someone comes in and gets four or five wickets, then it’s hard to say no to them.”
Plunkett is not expected to feature in the fourth game of the series, in Kandy today, due to a lack of acclimatisation time.
He added: “Hopefully I get the nod and play one or two games here.
“But if not, I’ll hopefully get a go again.”